Original Writer Of 2015's FANTASTIC FOUR Reboot Reveals What Was Supposed To Happen In The Movie

Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller were the original writers of 2015's Fantastic Four reboot before director Josh Trank ditched their screenplay and the former has now revealed what they had planned...

By JoshWilding - Jun 01, 2019 05:06 AM EST

Filed Under: Fantastic Four

Over the course of a decade, Fox tried three times to get the Fantastic Four franchise right and failed each time. The worst one came in 2015 courtesy of director Josh Trank and the movie's poor critical and commercial performance essentially put the final nail in the coffin of Marvel's First Family.

However, before Jeremy Slater and Simon Kinberg started working on the reboot's screenplay, X-Men: First Class scribes Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller wrote a draft which has never seen the light of day. Now, though, the former has shed some light on what we could have ended up seeing.

"Josh Trank, who ended up doing the Fantastic Four that we saw in the theaters, we were supposed to be writing the script for him but nobody told him that we were doing it," Stentz reveals. "So, when he officially signed on he was like, 'Why are you imposing these other writers on me? I want to use my own writer. I wanna do my own script.' And he did his version instead."

Stentz added, "It was one of those hammer blows to our career at the time, even though we had gotten paid, because I was so freakin' proud of that script. It was how the Fantastic Four were almost the Fantastic Five except a young man named Victor von Doom was just too damaged and f---ed up to be part of them. It was a script I was very proud of. Josh Trank didn't wanna do it."

Honestly, that doesn't sound much better than the other versions of the team we saw on the big screen, and it's another screenplay that relied heavily on creating a relationship between the heroes and Doctor Doom. Still, without getting to read it, it's hard to say how it would compare to Trank's movie and the ones Tim Story helmed before it.

What do you guys think?

Hit the "View List" button to see 22 X-Men and Fantastic Four
characters you may not know are coming to the MCU!

Lyja

A Skrull with the ability to shapeshift into humans or animals, Lyja is unlikely to appear in next year's Captain Marvel due to the fact her origin is very much rooted within the world of the Fantastic Four. She managed to infiltrate the team by posing as Alica Masters and served as both an ally and enemy to the team. Assuming we see more of the Skrulls in the MCU, Lyja will no doubt get in on the action.

Molecule Man

Up until fairly recently, Molecule Man was considered something of a joke but his ability to control matter and change reality could come into play in a big way in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The immensely powerful villain could be used as the big bad of any number of movies and while he'd no doubt be reimagined to at least some extent (like Baron Zemo), the possibilities are endless.

Shi'ar Empire

We thought we'd meet the Shi'ar Empire in Dark Phoenix but it doesn't appear as if that will be happening so that leaves the door wide open for the likes of Lilandra and Gladiator to be brought to the big screen. While they could be tied into the world of the X-Men in some way, I think it would be especially interesting to see them cross paths with the Guardians of the Galaxy in the near future.

Betsy Braddock

Psylocke may have received the spotlight in X-Men: Apocalypse but did you know that Betsy Braddock is actually the sister of Captain Britain and actually used to be a white woman who also held that mantle? While we know that Marvel Studios has tentative plans for Brian, the rights to the X-Men returning home means the door is wide open to them telling Psylocke's story from beginning to end.

Alpha Flight

Fox has missed a trick by leaving Alpha Flight on the shelf, especially as the characters could very easily hold their own franchise completely separate to the X-Men. The Canadian team probably won't be Marvel's top priority when all these characters return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe but it would be crazy not to expand this shared world by finally setting future stories in the Great White North.

Wyatt Wingfoot

Wyatt Wingfoot first appeared in the pages of Fantastic Four #50 and he's served as a frequent ally to the team ever since, joining them on many adventures and serving as a pilot alongside Ben Grimm. Wyatt is very much a minor character but also one who could be reinvented in some interesting ways for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it will be fun seeing what that might entail moving forward.

Starjammers

The leader of the Starjammers is Corsair but he's actually Christopher Summers, the father of Cyclops, Havok, and Vulcan. What's interesting about bringing this team to the MCU is the fact that they don't initially have to be linked to the X-Men; they could show up in Guardians of the Galaxy! A vague reference to Corsair's family would be fun for fans and could then be followed up on in a future film.

Latveria

Doctor Doom is obviously on his way to MCU and will probably be introduced in a Fantastic Four reboot before becoming a new big bad for this entire shared world. What's really exciting, though, is the fact we'll get to visit Latveria, a fiction nation which Doom rules over with an iron fist. Sure, we've never heard of it before now but Sokovia was never mentioned before Avengers: Age of Ultron either!

Savage Land

More of a place than a character, the Savage Land opens the door to unlimited storytelling possibilities. Regardless of whether it's the X-Men who visit this mysterious land full of mutated monsters and dinosaurs or characters like The Hulk and Black Panther, there's a lot of potential here to give any number of future releases a very different feel by shining the spotlight on this unique area of the MCU.

Quicksilver

I know what you're thinking; we've already seen Quicksilver in the MCU! Well, yes and no. While the character did make his debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron, his mutant heritage, last name, and codename were nowhere to be found in that sequel. Now, if Marvel chooses to resurrect the speedster, they can do it the right way and elaborate on the fact he's actually the son of Magneto.

Scarlet Witch

The chances of Quicksilver coming back are probably slim but Scarlet Witch remains an integral part of the MCU and it can easily be revealed that she's actually a mutant whose powers were activated by Baron Von Strucker's experiments. Wanda could even end up playing the role Hope Summers did in Avengers Vs. X-Men as the two teams go to war with the daughter of Magneto somehow on the line.

Nathaniel Richards

The father of Reed Richards, Nathaniel Richard is a time-traveller with a very complicated background. He's got some pretty confusing ties to Kang the Conqueror and has taken on a number of different monikers over the years, many of which could be used in the MCU in very exciting ways. There are a lot of Fantastic Four villains who could bring them and The Avengers together and this is one of them.

The Brood

Due to the intergalactic adventures of both the X-Men and Fantastic Four, there are a lot of aliens who have not been used in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That's going to change, though, and it's impossible not to be excited about the prospect of seeing The Brood. Their introduction could result in Marvel's first horror movie and they have the potential to do more than just battle the X-Men.

Paibok

Another Skrull unlikely to appear in Captain Marvel next year, Paibok was bionically re-engineered to possess more power than the Fantastic Four. Personally, I don't think pitting Reed Richards and company against these shape-shifters will be a priority for Marvel Studios but assuming a Secret Invasion adaptation does happen somewhere down the line, he'll now no doubt end up part of that.

Kristoff Vernard

The adopted son of Victor Von Doom has a convoluted history and while I wouldn't necessarily want to see that touched on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I do think the character could be used in other ways. For example, he could take on an Everett Ross style role for Latveria and seeing as Kevin Feige has reinvented many different characters over the years, the same could actually be the case for Kristoff.

Asteroid M

What if we haven't heard anything about mutants because they've been hiding above Earth on Magneto's Asteroid M base? That may seem a little far-fetched but it is at least one possibility and even if that doesn't wind up being the case, this would make for one seriously cool home for the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. If it falls from the sky, then it can just become Utopia for the X-Men!

Phalanx

The Phalanx are techno-organic beings, whose nervous systems are composed of organic circuitry and they've clashed with the X-Men on a number of occasions. This evil race was born when a scientist experimented on the remains of the New Mutant Warlock, and while this lot probably won't be a priority for Marvel Studios, it will be great to see the cosmic side of the MCU fleshed out with this lot.

Baxter Building

Well, this goes without saying really. There's already been speculation that Avengers Tower will be converted into the Baxter Building when the Fantastic Four arrive in the MCU and that seems like a smart move, especially as we're talking about a team who is loved by the public (arguably more so than The Avengers). Getting to explore the Baxter Building promises to be a treat both inside and out.

Super-Skrulls

We know that Marvel will finally introduce the Skrulls in Captain Marvel next year but there's one type that remains off-limits to them for the time being. Those are, of course, the Super-Skrulls, shape-shifting aliens with the power to take on a number of superpowers. Their arrival in the MCU leaves the door open to these aliens being revisited and us getting a totally faithful Secret Invasion adaptation.

The Negative Zone

The Negative Zone is home to a huge number of iconic villains who have been off limits to Marvel Studios up until now and with it being so easy to link this mysterious dimension with the likes of the Quantum Realm and Doctor Strange's many adventures, it's obviously going to be a whole lot of fun delving into the home of Annihilus. It's literally a whole new universe for Kevin Feige to explore.

Genosha

Rumour has it that we'll actually visit Genosha in Dark Phoenix but common sense says that we won't be getting a comic book accurate take on that so Marvel will be able to make up for that in no time at all. The home of Magneto and other mutants who no longer wanted to be victimised by humans, there's a lot which could be done with Genosha and it could be that Erik has been in hiding there.

Willie Lumpkin

Okay, this isn't exactly an essential addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe but how amazing would it be to see to see this character return after he was once so memorably played by the late, great Stan "The Man" Lee. As cameos go, this would definitely be amazing and while there's no denying that we can live without Willie, his inclusion would definitely please a lot of longtime comic book fans.

THE FANTASTIC FOUR Rumored To Introduce Norrin Radd Alongside Julia Garner's Silver Surfer

Recommended For You:

THE FANTASTIC FOUR Star Joseph Quinn On Following Chris Evans; Calls It A "Very Different" Marvel Movie

DISCLAIMER: ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and... [MORE]

ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

Do you have what it takes to write for us?

Want to contribute?

64 Comments

1 2

Se4M4NSt4ine - 6/1/2019, 5:27 AM

There’s only one article I want read Fantastic Four in... and that’s the announcement...

Liverpool4life - 6/1/2019, 5:32 AM

@Se4M4NSt4ine - I think a series on Disney Plus would be a great reboot option. It would allow them to be introduced sooner.

Kurne - 6/1/2019, 5:38 AM

@Liverpool4life - I honestly think that would be the perfect option instead of risking another movie in theaters (for now).

SethBullock - 6/1/2019, 8:02 AM

@Liverpool4life @Kurne - Nah, the Fantastic Four deserve the feature film/theater movie treatment, they are among the big Marvel names, they have Doom, Galactus, Silver Surfer, the Super Skrull, Annihilus, Namor, Kang (also connected to The Avengers, and after their time travel movie he could be introduced and use his connection to both groups to also introduce the FF), etc... They deserve a big good movie that starts a new succesful franchise.

Marvel could do it with Spidey just after the Amazing Spider-Man movies and they should be able to do the same with the FF.

Introducing the FF or the X-Men with tv shows would be a huge mistake imo, these are not B or C characters, other studios bought the rights for Spider-Man, the X-Men or the FF back in the day because they were more popular and easily adaptable for movies than The Avengers, Marvel Studios did a great job with the characters they had left (Iron-Man, Thor, Captain America, etc), but if they could do the same with the X-Men and the FF, they will make billions with their movies, they would lose a lot of money if they leave them on tv.

It's impossible to have the same production values, vfx and actors on tv and in a big movie, the level of promotion, popularity and the merchandise sales wouldn't be the same either, the FF are much more popular than Black Panther, Dr Strange, Ant-Man, Captain Marvel or almost any other MCU character before they had their own movies, the only reason the last movie bombed was because it sucked, like a lot, but TASM 2 wasn't a commercial or critical success either and just after it Marvel Studios succesfully relaunched the franchise with Homecoming, and Far From Home could potentially be much bigger just after Endgame and with Spidey's popularity enhanced by the MCU connection, Marvel Studios could just do the same with the FF, Pixar has already made a couple of FF succesful movies with The Incredibles, Disney/Marvel would be crazy if they "wasted" the FF on tv, if they make a good movie they will make lots of money on ticket sales and merchandise with the FF in the MCU collaborating with The Avengers, Spidey and the X-Men.

redoptics - 6/2/2019, 8:31 AM

@KoolerThanJesus - yeah get bag man spidey in there lol

TheManWithoutFear - 6/1/2019, 5:37 AM

It doesn't matter anymore. The FF films, the Fox-Men, none of it matters anymore.

Feige is coming.

Asturgis - 6/1/2019, 5:42 AM

I hope that Feige waits another maybe 5 or 6 years to make their first female ensemble movie, and that it's not an Avengers look alike but something different.

I hope that it happens after the first solo F4 movie has been released, and that we see Sue, Jessica (Spider-Woman), Betty (Red She-Hulk), Okoye, Quake, and someone from Daredevil (to link everything together), maybe Echo or Elektra, on a worldwide Mission Impossible kind of movie for SHIELD, ran by Old Man Cap. When they did Pleasant Hill and Time Runs Out, Sue looked amazing in that tactical black SHIELD uniform.

TR;DL, I'd like to see a Marvel movie about a female covert ops SHIELD team, with Susan in it, and hopefully it links up with AOS and the Netflix shows. One can always hope.

MexCowboyNation - 6/1/2019, 6:05 AM

@Asturgis - Spider-Woman is owned by Sony so we won't be seeing her in the MCU.

Spock0Clock - 6/1/2019, 6:58 AM

@Asturgis - I'm not sure the two are mutually exclusive, but MCU Hope occupies a lot of the character space that comic Sue Richards: Agent of SHIELD does. The Ant-Man franchise has operated a lot like the MCU First Family anyway.

There may be some room for the F4 to either play more traditional (nuclear family, Mad Men-era time jumps or what-have-you) or to play a lot looser (such as starting off as a Future Foundationy expansive type thing to begin with). Lot of options there.

@MexCowboyNation - *Looks at watch.* I'm not sure Sony's going to be much of a problem for Marvel for all that much longer.

Asturgis - 6/1/2019, 9:00 AM

@MexCowboyNation - I'm pretty sure Spider-Man is an Avenger in the MCU, so…

DalekCraigWasson - 6/1/2019, 1:45 PM

@MexCowboyNation - Just to clarify, that is basically true but it is a little bit more complicated. Sony owns the rights to the title and name Spider-Woman, while Marvel owns Jessica Drew. So Sony could make Spider-Woman (Gwen Stacy), Marvel could make Jessica Drew: Agent of HYDRA, but only Sony and Marvel together on something like a Homecoming sequel could either do Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew).

redoptics - 6/2/2019, 8:33 AM

@MexCowboyNation - how can spider woman be owned by Sony? It's a completely separate IP.

WakandanQueen - 6/1/2019, 5:53 AM

Just give me this

DwightKGroot - 6/1/2019, 6:30 AM

@WakandanQueen - no

pclark - 6/1/2019, 6:31 AM

@WakandanQueen - Krazinski and Blunt have been touted for a while, but I just don't see it. I think the best choice for Sue is Katheryn Winnick. But one thing I do know... when Marvel does do an FF film, they will nail the casting. That has been one of their strengths, excellent casting choices.

WakandanQueen - 6/1/2019, 6:33 AM

@DwightKGroot -

Spock0Clock - 6/1/2019, 6:43 AM

@WakandanQueen - You just pushed the Blunt Button.

You shouldna did that.

Tonic24k - 6/1/2019, 5:55 AM

F4 needs to be introduced in another movie first. Much like Black Panther (minus the trailer reveal). Imagine a moment where Dr. Strange goes to visit an old colleague for help or something like that (yes, I know him and Reed practice in two different fields) and he walks in the door and there's the 4 of them working in the lab.

Much better than the source hype coming from an announcement followed by a teaser trailer.